Could Los Angeles Kings make another run for the Stanley Cup? -NHL Special
The Los Angeles Kings made history this year as they won the Stanley Cup championship for the first time in franchise history, not only giving the City of Angels its first hockey trophy but also spreading the sport in places where it never had ever been
before.
Los Angeles, a city which has seen many sports franchises reach peaks in their own industry, the biggest being the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which has celebrated more than its share of trophy winning, but the Kings
parading through downtown LA was a first.
Hockey has entered a new era, without a doubt, and Los Angeles will be the team to beat next season as they look dedicated towards actually defending their championship and making another run for the most coveted prize of the hockey world. One of the biggest
advantages Los Angeles has is that the team has remained intact. Most clubs, after winning the Stanley Cup, usually fall apart with many key players taking offers made by other clubs.
We saw an example of this after the Boston Bruins took home the cup from Vancouver Canucks in 2011 and miserably failed at retaining it this year as Washington Capitals knocked them out right in the opening round.
The Kings are looking to become the first team since 1998 to win the cup twice in a row and third since 1990, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings have been the only ones in that duration to have done so. It definitely will not be as easy as
many fans think since the whole spectrum of the hockey league has really changed over the offseason. Teams like the Minnesota Wild have totally changed around for the better, with new acquisitions like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, they are definitely going
to make it harder for a lot of clubs to keep up.
Another factor that has Los Angeles Kings taking the advantage as far as a repeat is conference when compared to previous Stanley Cup winners is the fact that they are one of the best when it comes to team chemistry. A line-up consisting of Jonathan Quick,
Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Justin Williams, along with Willie Micthell just makes them really well rounded and hard to tackle. The Kings have been working together for a long time and know how to get the job done.
They also became the first team to break the eighth place barrier by finishing barely above the playoff division line at the end of the 2011-2012 NHL Regular Season and going on to beat out Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Vancouver Canucks, the second place
St. Louis Blues, the heated Phoenix Coyotes and finally, a top level Martin Broduer and the New Jersey Devils team.
It will be very, very interesting to follow the Los Angeles Kings next season and see where they end up.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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